Firefly Spa: The Chocolate Client
by Studying Dragon
Summary: After recently being shot in the back, Iruka has been given a generous offer of free therapy at the renowned Firefly Spa. The only problem is he has no idea as to the less than appropriate actions that occur behind closed doors at the spa. KakaxIru
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This story is based on a universe created on Y-Gallery in the form of a club called the Firefly Spa. The Spa is owned by Uchiha Mikoto. Both her sons work there and though she thinks she had a respectable business her sons know otherwise. Sasuke knows some, but Itachi, with his closed circuit cameras everywhere, knows all. Hope you all enjoy. :)_

* * *

At the beginning of every week the staff of the Firefly Spa would sit down for a quick meeting to go over any information that they needed to know. Though the building was only 2 stories tall, a fraction of the height of the near by skyscrapers, the place was always busy with clients and staff going in and out of the dozens of small treatment rooms. Because of this, the weekly meetings were established to make sure all employees were up to date on the overall goings of the spa, including all promotions and the rare incidences that occur within any business.

Uchiha Mikoto was always very insistent that all employees attend these meetings. She took very good care of her staff and her office always held an open door policy. She believed the first step to a happy customer was always a happy employee. She would usually stay for the first part of the meeting to go over anything particular she felt strongly about. The second part of the meeting was usually overseen by Itachi.

What Mikoto didn't know was that once she left the real meeting would begin. Most staff knew about some part of the hidden side of the spa though her eldest son Uchiha Itachi was the only one who knew everything. He would go over anything that was important for the staff to know that his mother shouldn't. Knowing that it would surely devastate Mikoto to know the truth and because everyone loved and respected her too much to hurt her, the staff were very careful not to let anything slip by them.

"Good morning everyone." Mikoto smiled warmly at her staff. Because they had no room for a meeting room, the staff met in the pool room where the morning light washed over all of their smiling faces through the large picture windows on the east side. "Just one item I have for everyone today. We have a new client coming in today and he's a very special one. Do any of you remember the school shooting 6 months ago at my son's former high school?"

Many of the staff nodded. Those who had been working since then knew how panicked Mikoto had been about her youngest son Uchiha Sasuke. As it turns out he had been out of the school on his lunch break at the time.

"Well as you know thankfully no one was killed but a teacher was severely wounded after he was shot in the back while protecting some students. His name is Umino Iruka and though he is out of the hospital he still has a long way to go in his recovery. Knowing how expensive rehab can be and how important of a teacher he was to my son and a few others here, it has been agreed upon that we will take on Umino-sensei free of charge. Now I will be paying wages for anyone who treats him as the spa will be taking on all of Umino-sensei's expenses. Anyone who wishes to donate their time is free to do so but I will not expect it of anyone."

There were smiles and nods all around including a rare smile from Sasuke as it had been his idea in the beginning.

"Good, now that that is settled, I have to run as I have an appointment with the accountant. I leave you all with Itachi to go over anything else that needs to be discussed." And with that Mikoto smiled and waved to the staff as she made a quick exit.

"I don't have much either this morning but I want to further speak on what my mother told you all." Itachi spoke calmly as he made his way from his seat to in front of the staff.

"Iruka-sensei is one of the most pure-hearted and giving men you will ever come across. I know that some of the younger staff members here even had the pleasure of having him for a teacher at one point. I have only ever met him twice but for those who haven't you'll understand what I mean when you meet him." Itachi spoke.

"Don't forget about his temper." Sasuke smirked and some of the other younger staff either laughed or cringed at that remark.

"I was getting to that little brother." Itachi smirked as well having seen it on one of the two times he had met the man. "I'm hoping to avoid that. As such I'm asking everyone to keep an eye out on Umino-sensei. I know he would not appreciate that other side of our spa here and unfortunately I predict his personality as well as his looks will catch the eye of some of our more depraved clients. Again many of you will understand when you meet him."

"For now his treatment will be overseen by myself and will start with water therapy with Kisame followed by a deep tissue massage by Tsunade. Other treatments will be considered as he progresses. The bullet to his back damaged some nerves and he currently walks with two canes. We hope to change that as soon as possible." Itachi explained. "That's all for now. The spa opens in half and hour and Umino-sensei arrives in one hour. Everyone is dismissed." Itachi finished and the staff rose to leave to prepare for the day.

Once everyone had left, Sasuke approached Itachi, "You realize keeping Iruka-sensei away from our depraved clients is going to be tough. He may be intelligent but he wasn't really smart when it came to lecherous advances."

Itachi sighed, "I know, but I think if we keep him near some of our more intimidating staff like Kisame and Tsunade we should avoid the worst."

An "hn" was Sasuke's only reply.

* * *

Umino Iruka climbed out of the taxi with a bit of difficulty but was able to manage without help from the driver. His pride had taken a beating with how much help he had required in the last 6 months but every time he could do something on his own was a small victory in his mind. Today though he was doing one of the few things he had promised himself he'd never do since losing his parents; become a charity case.

When Uchiha Mikoto had first contacted him he had automatically remembered her from the many parent-teacher meetings he had had with her over the fighting incidences between her son Sasuke and another boy named Uzumaki Naruto back when they started High School. Thankfully over their three years there they had not only stopped fighting but had become the best of friends. It had only been last spring when they had graduated but he knew the memories of those two would never leave him.

When Mikoto had told him about the offer of providing him with the rehab he so desperately required but could not afford on his teacher's salary his had swallowed his pride and had said a very thankful yes. He had a feeling it had something to do with Sasuke but that was something he could ask the young man at a later time.

Iruka was actually a little nervous as he approached the front door of the old building. He'd never been to a spa in his life and until now had figured he'd never would. The outside was calming and the front looked welcoming. "My how life can change," he sighed and walked up to the front door.

* * *

Sakura was chatting with Kurenai who was sitting behind the front desk today. When they heard someone struggling at the front door they looked over and Sakura immediately recognised her former teacher and rushed over to help him in. "Good morning Iruka-sensei, it's so good to see you again. How are you doing?" She smiled warmly, though Iruka could sense the subtle grief in her voice.

"It's good to see you too Sakura-chan. I'm doing better than I was a few months ago though I'm hoping to feel more like my old self as time goes." He smiled brightly and gave her a quick hug to help easy her worries for him.

"Well we should be able to help you out with that." Sakura smiled brighter than she had a minute ago. After introducing Iruka to Kurenai, she led him down the hall to the change rooms where they met Itachi.

"Good morning Umino-sensei, I don't know if you remember me but I'm Uchiha Itachi, Mikoto's eldest son and Sasuke's older brother." Itachi bowed politely. "I'll be escorting you around our facility in between your appointments. Shall we get started then?" Sakura almost had a nose bleed and had to quickly excuse herself at the warm smile that Itachi gave Iruka. She had never once seen such a true smile on her supervisors face.

"It's nice to meet you again Itachi-san and please call me Iruka. Sure I'd love to get started but I have to warn you that I've never been to a spa before so I'm not familiar with the proper protocol." Iruka spoke as Itachi led them into the change rooms.

"That's quite alright Iruka-sensei. We booked you today with some extra time for a full tour and introduction to the spa. First we usually have our clients change into something more comfortable and useful before anything else. Did you remember your swim trunks and do you require any assistance changing?" Itachi asked as they entered the change room and approached a row of lockers.

"Yes I did and though it may take me a few extra minutes I'll be fine to change on my own." Itachi caught the subtle hint in Iruka's answer of his wishes to do as much on his own as he can.

"Very well, I'll be waiting around the corner for you. Call me if you need anything." Itachi replied and then walked back to the door of the change room. Though Iruka took this as a sign of respect for his privacy, Itachi used this excuse to watch the door for any of the other clients that were around that morning; especially one in particular.

After Iruka had finished changing, Itachi led him on a guided tour of the spa. Iruka was impressed with the place and felt more at easy as they slowly walked around. After the tour Itachi led them towards the pool area. The plan was for Iruka to shower and then spend some time in the hot tub warming up his muscles before Kisame took over for his first session in the pool.

* * *

Sasuke was speaking with Kurenai and Sakura at the front desk about the need to change the front door to accommodate those with disabilities when a very familiar and very notorious client sauntered though the front door. A look of pure shock washed over Sasuke's face for a split second before he pushed it down and replaced it with the trademark Uchiha face.

"Good morning Hatake-san, what brings you in today?" Sasuke asked with strained politeness.

Of all the troublesome clients that could have come in this morning why did it have to be this one? Hatake Kakashi was the second biggest pervert that Sasuke had ever met (Naruto's godfather Jiraiya held the top honours). And although Sasuke detested him, Kakashi was one of the spa's best clients. He was the owner of Chidori Inc. and was always spending loads of money at the spa either on himself or on his company's cliental. The money he brought in was the only reason Sasuke tolerated the man as he did.

"Oh just the usual work over by your brother. I know I'm not normally in until later this week but an upcoming merger with our biggest rival has had me working late for the last few weeks and my muscles are really feeling it." Kakashi spoke without raising his eyes from the newspaper he carried. He may have looked smart reading the business section, but the three standing there all knew he most likely had one of his infamous books stashed behind it.

Sasuke looked towards Kurenai but she only threw him a look of sympathy as Sakura began to escort Kakashi down the hallway towards the change rooms. Once they had vanished around the corner, Sasuke rushed to the phone at the desk and began dialling his brother's cell.

"How did he of all people end up being booked this morning? We booked Iruka-sensei specifically at this time to avoid the worst of the lechers." He spoke in hushed rage as the phone began to ring.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, but he called first thing this morning and your mother happened to answer the phone on her way out the door while we were all in the meeting. There was nothing I could do." Kurenai replied apologetically.

Sasuke scowled at the reply as the phone was picked up.

"Itachi, we have a problem."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Iruka exited the showers and entered the pool area where Itachi was waiting for him by the hot tub. The windows at the one end let in so much sunlight that the over head lights where almost unnecessary. Iruka was also impressed with the lack of chlorine fumes in the air that are so noticeable in many indoor pools.

"We use a natural salt system so the chlorine is kept to a minimum." Itachi explained as Iruka slowly lowered himself into the hot tub. The jets were already running and the warm water was a gentle welcome to his stiff muscles.

"I'll let you relax here for a while and Kisame should be by soon to start your water therapy. Just a heads up, Kisame can appear very intimidating at first, but he's a gentle giant at heart. Though don't tell him I said that." Itachi smiled and Iruka nodded in acknowledgement. Just as Itachi was about to continue his cell phone began to ring. "Excuse me a moment Sensei. I shall leave you to relax in piece and I'll be back later." Itachi excused himself as he walked towards the staff entrance to the pool room.

Iruka watched until Itachi had exited the area before taking another look around and realizing he was the only one in the room. With a content sigh he leaned back and closed his eyes as the water washed over him. He'd always loved the water, ever since he'd learned to swim as a toddler. Something about it always comforted him at the end of a long day and he was notorious for falling asleep on occasion while relaxing in his tub at home.

Iruka figured no more than 10 minutes had passed when a shadow fell across his face blocking the lovely sun rays that had been warming the only bit of exposed skin he had. Cracking open his eyes he nearly had a heart attack while looking up into the face of the man – no giant – that had blocked out the sun.

"Umino-sensei I presume?" The giant asked and Iruka nodded once in reply. A big smile broke out on the giant's face and Iruka nearly gulped when he saw a gleaming row of sharp white teeth. "Pleasure to meet you Umino-sensei, my name is Hoshigaki Kisame and I'll be taking you through your water therapy sessions. Are you ready to get started?"

At that moment Iruka remembered Itachi's words and realised they were an understatement. Kisame was covered in deep blue tattoos including ones on his cheeks that resembled gills, and with his pointed teeth he greatly resembled the animal he was named for. Trusting Itachi's words though, he let himself relax in the man's presence and smiled back at him. "Ready and willing when ever you are Hoshigaki-san."

In that instance Kisame realized what Itachi was talking about in the morning meeting. Iruka's aura was that of a saint and he anticipated that his sessions with Iruka would be pleasant and productive. With that he reached out a helping hand to Iruka, "Well then lets get started shall we?"

* * *

Pulling out his phone only once he was in the hallway and out of ear shot, Itachi placed it to the side of his head with a sigh. "What is it dear little brother?"

"Itachi, we have a problem." Came his brother's reply. To anyone else the tone seemed flat but to Itachi who knew him so well he could hear the slight underlying panic in Sasuke's voice.

Itachi smirked at this. "If you are referring to our favourite perverted client Hatake-san, then there is no need to worry. I checked the schedule after our morning meeting and though I was disappointed to see his name in the books, obviously written in by mother, I have already made arrangements."

There was a slight hesitation on the other side of the line. "Are you sure? Kakashi can be really tricky if he spots something he likes?"

Itachi smiled at his brother's concerned voice. "Not to worry, as long as everything goes to plan they shall never meet. I freed my schedule so that I would be near Iruka-sensei for most of his time here. I'm assuming by your call that Kakashi-san has arrived?" Itachi inquired.

"Yes," Sasuke replied, "and he is right now being led to the change rooms by Sakura."

"Good, I shall send Haku to meet him there. I'll tell you later about the little surprise I have for him. I know you'll like it." And before Sasuke could reply Itachi had hung up on him.

Hitting the speed dial, Itachi immediately started another call. "Hello, Haku? Our second guess of honour for the day has arrived. He's in the change rooms. You know what to do. Good, page me when you are finished." With that Itachi hung up the phone and made his way to one of the back massage rooms to inform a particular employee of his extra client for this morning.

* * *

After changing into his swim trunks and a dark grey robe, Kakashi exited the change room to find that Sakura had been replaced by Haku. Kakashi was a bit surprised but hardly disappointed as he enjoyed talking to the feminine young man.

"Good morning Hatake-san? How have you been?" Haku smiled warmly.

"More stressed than I ever have been in my life." Kakashi replied as they moved towards the pool area.

"Oh, how so?" Haku inquired with a slight tilt to his head.

"My company in merging with our biggest rival this month and though I have no problems with the other CEO, as he used to be my mentor many years ago, my board of directors are worried that I may be taken advantage of because of the history there." Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"I'm sorry to hear that Hatake-san. Hopefully it will work out in the end. At least your vice-president Uchiha-san is on your side is he not?" Haku asked.

"Yes, Obito is all for it and he's been a great help. I should really get him in here soon too. I'm sure he's as stressed as I am." Kakashi responded.

As they entered the pool area, Kakashi noticed that another employee he knew to be Kisame was working with someone in the pool but he couldn't see who as Kisame's back was facing him and was in the way. He did however notice a pair of canes resting by the pool and wondered if he'd not seen them somewhere before. At the least the pool session appeared to be more for therapy than for relaxation.

"I've already had your favourite tea prepared for you." Haku smiled as Kakashi entered the hot tub. His drink was placed on the one side so that when he sat down his back was to the pool. "Thank you Haku, I do enjoy your teas here. They're better than some of the best tea shops in town."

"Thank you Hatake-san. I was wondering if you'd like to hear about this years Christmas packages as you're muscles are loosening up?" Haku asked.

Kakashi was a bit shocked by this. "Christmas? Last I checked it was only a week after labour day? Why so early?" Kakashi was starting to feel the nag of suspicion in the back of his mind, but about what he wasn't sure.

"Well, last year we were very busy at Christmas and we had several issues with booking as well as running out of supplies so Mikoto-san decided that we would start much earlier so that we could be better prepared. We're currently only offering the specials to our preferred clients for now; the official flyers will be distributed starting next month." Haku calmly explained.

It made sense to Kakashi and being referred to as a preferred client did stroke his ego the right way. Though the nagging feeling of suspicion was still in the back of his head, he bade Haku to continue as he did like to plan ahead and the spa's gift packages were great gifts for his friends and employees.

* * *

Sasuke was just putting his phone away after hearing the cryptic message from his brother when another creepy client decided to grace the presence of the spa, though this one was completely expected.

Sannin Orochimaru was by far one of the creepiest clients that the Firefly Spa catered to. He always seemed to have an eye on both Itachi and Sasuke and any other employee or client who shared similar physical traits with them. He was here for his monthly chemical peel and many of the staff joked it was because he was really a snake in disguised and it was him moulting his old layer off. Poor Shizune was the one to deal with him and Itachi always made sure that the rest of her day was clear so she could recover in peace from the stress of his visit.

And as always, Orochimaru had one of his lackeys in tow. You'd think it would be easier to just buy a blackberry but Sasuke suspected that Orochimaru enjoyed dictating to and controlling a scraggily lackey while going about his business. Probably made him feel more powerful than he really was.

Orochimaru leered at Sasuke as he walked by and followed Shizune to the change rooms. His lackey would hover about until his boss was finished and then the two of them would promptly leave. The good news was they didn't have to worry about Orochimaru going near Iruka as he was one who preferred perfection and in his eyes Iruka wouldn't even be close. Sasuke smiled briefly. Orochimaru would never understand the true beauty of a pure soul like Iruka's.

* * *

After listening to Haku talk about the Christmas deals available this coming season, Kakashi was well relaxed and ready for his massage. He had almost completely forgotten about the other occupant until he heard splashing as he was exiting the pool area. Again, because of Kisame's large figure, he was unable to see the other occupant.

As Haku was leading Kakashi down the hall towards the massage rooms, they came to a fork in the hallway and for some odd reason Haku went left instead of right. "Ano, isn't Itachi's room the other way?" Kakashi asked out of curiosity. Lately he'd been seeing only Itachi as he was the best and he hadn't been in the mood to pester any of the staff for the little extras he enjoyed every now and then.

"Oh, I'm sorry Hatake-san, but Itachi was already booked this morning so you'll be seeing one of our other therapists. I'm sorry for the inconvenience but there was nothing we could do on such short notice." Haku answered apologetically.

Kakashi simply brushed it off as he had only just booked this morning and the chances of getting Itachi were slim to none as he was always in high demand. He was running through his head who he could possibly be seeing when the last person he wanted to see came bounding down the hall way towards him…

Oh hell no.

"Greetings my youthful co-worker Haku-san and my esteemed and ever hip client Kakashi-san!" A booming voice echoed throughout the hall way.

Kakashi decided at that moment that that much green was too much for this early in the morning. Period. Though Gai was a great therapist, he was a bit strong handed and he tend to go on and on about the power of youth and the accomplishments of his godson Lee who was an all-star sportsman in the college circuit.

"I have been informed that you have been experiencing a great amount of stress at work Kakashi-san and are in need of some help rediscovering your more youthful self. I hope that I will be able to assist you in this endeavour by the end of our session." Gai announced and then struck one of his infamous nice guy posses.

Kakashi, resigned to his fate, nodded and proceeded to follow the green monstrosity towards one of the massage rooms. Haku giggled lightly after they entered the room and quickly turned tail to seek Itachi out and report to him on how the morning was going.

* * *

On his way to his next client, Sasuke walked passed Haku and couldn't help but inquire as to why he had such a big smile on his face. After hearing about Kakashi's arrangements, Sasuke couldn't help but smirk and quickly pulled out his cell phone to text his brother.

* * *

Itachi felt his cell phone vibrate and quickly checked the message from Sasuke. He smirked as he read the words knowing what his brother was referring to.

"Nii-san, you are positively evil."


	3. Chapter 3

Kisame watched Haku and Kakashi exit the pool area out of the corner of his eye. From the moment they had entered the room he had moved to always keep his back to them and Iruka in front of him. It was easier to do then many would think as Iruka was almost constantly flat in the water while Kisame stayed standing and he was able to use Haku's voice to gage roughly where they were in the room. After they left he waited a few moments to make sure the cost was clear and so that Iruka could finish the exercise they were working on.

"That's great work Umino-sensei." Kisame praised as he helped the man to the side of the pool. "At this rate you'll be able to toss those canes away in no time."

Iruka beamed, "I hope so because it's getting really annoying having my students walk circles around me rather than run them. And please call me Iruka, Umino-sensei makes me feel old and the canes are doing a good enough job of that as it is."

Kisame let out a heart felt laugh. "Sure thing Iruka. I must say you have made me re-evaluate my stance on teachers. I used to hate them as you could probably tell I wasn't exactly a saint in school. But now I think I really like them. You're the best client I've ever had hands down; you listen to instructions and are able to follow them to a tee. Seems to me teachers make the best students."

Iruka blushed at the compliment. "I don't know about that. I find teachers are the worst students as most of them know all the tricks in the book."

"Well then you are certainly the exception." Kisame smiled. "Just so you know, you may find your muscles are a bit sore for the next day or two even after your massage. That's normal as you're probably using muscles you aren't used to using. Dull pains are ok but if it gets worst call us right away, alright. Did you have any questions before you leave for your massage?" Kisame asked just as Itachi was making his way over to the steps at the corner of the pool.

Iruka took a moment to think about it as he was climbing up the stairs to where Itachi was waiting with his canes. "I don't think so; you were very thorough in your introduction earlier."

"Good," Kisame smiled, "Most first time clients are so intimidated by my looks that they don't pay attention to my introduction and end up asking me all sorts of questions later on."

Iruka laughed at this as Itachi handed him his robe and canes. "Well thank you very much for the session Hoshigaki-san. I look forward to our next one." With that Iruka bowed politely.

"Please, call me Kisame; Hoshigaki-san makes me feel old." Kisame chuckled as he too exited the pool.

Iruka smiled, "Sure thing." And with that Itachi began to lead him towards the exit.

While holding the door for Iruka, Itachi sent Kisame a questioning look. Kisame simply smiled back to reassure Itachi that everything went well. Itachi smiled at this and then exited through the door after Iruka.

Kisame let out a long sigh. Thank god everything had gone well or Itachi would have sent him to the couch for a month at the very least! If he didn't love the man as much as he did he would have certainly considered going after such a rare find as Iruka.

* * *

"Right this way please Sannin-sama." Haku bowed as he greeted Orochimaru at the door to the change rooms. He dutifully led Orochimaru and his lackey towards Shizune's room for his chemical peel.

As they turned the last corner, Orochimaru smirked as he was graced with a clear view of one of his two favourite employees. Itachi was leading a client in the opposite direction as he was going so it gave him time to admire the view without appearing to obvious. He took a brief look at the client but quickly turned back to his prize upon seeing the canes. Imperfection was not even worth his precious time in his mind.

However, said client did not go unnoticed by his lackey. The man took his time to properly size up a potential prize for himself. Chocolate seemed to come to mind as he admired the expressive eyes, rich hair and tanned skin of the crippled client.

Upon reaching the room, Haku opened the door for them and informed them that Shizune would be right with them. After that Haku left leaving the two men alone.

"I don't think I'll be needing you to stay for the next while. I don't feel like doing any business while I'm being worked on today. You may linger until I'm done but don't leave the premises. Understood." Orochimaru instructed as he headed for the dressing screen at the back of the room.

"Understood Orochimaru-sama." The lackey bowed and exited the room.

Once the door was shut though, a purely sinister smirk appeared on his face. He knew for a fact that Orochimaru would take several hours and if the chocolate client was heading towards the massage rooms, he'd be done long before Orochimaru would be, giving him plenty of play time.

With that in mind, the lackey made his way towards the change rooms.

* * *

"Tsunade will be your massage therapist to start with. She's a little heave handed sometimes so don't be afraid to tell her to ease up if you feel it's too intense." Itachi explained as Iruka was undressing behind a screen at the back of the room. Iruka emerged with his towel in place and though he loathed admitting it, he was grateful Itachi was there to help him up onto the high table.

After Itachi left, assuring him Tsunade would be right there, Iruka took a moment to look around the room. It was tastefully decorated in neutral colours and soft lighting. The burning incense in the corner was relaxing and the soft music was just the right style and volume. A moment later the door swung open and with the height Iruka was situated at, the first thing he saw was by far the largest endowments he had ever seen. How could anyone stand up straight with those!

A clearing of a throat cause Iruka to strain his head backwards to look up into a pair of golden eyes filled with mirth looking back at him. "Contrary to what you may think, there are bigger ones out there than mine and yes it is a bitch to stand up straight with them."

Iruka blushed bright red at that and buried his face back into the table. "I'm so sorry, I didn't me to stare. You were just at eye level when you enter and… Oh dear." Iruka babbled as he tried to burry himself in the sheet on the table.

Tsunade laughed as she closed the door and rounded the table to the cabinet with her supplies. "Oh don't you worry; I know you don't swing that way to begin with."

Now that caught Iruka's attention. "Eh?"

Tsunade sat down on a chair and rolled over to the front of the table so she could look Iruka in the eyes without him having to strain his head backwards or have his voice muffled by the table. "No, no one told me, I'm just old enough to spot the difference without being told. That's why I said what I did. You know you're quite cute when you blush." This time her smile was full of sincerity and warmth like that of his late mother's and Iruka was immediately put to ease.

"Oh I know already. I'm reminded of it as least once a day by my students and co-workers." Iruka sighed.

Tsunade nodded in agreement. "Students can be brutally honest. By the way, I'm Tsunade. Don't worry about any titles; I get them too often when I'm teaching at the university."

"That's fine. I'm Iruka and the same for me, no titles are needed please." Iruka smiled.

"Good, now that that's settled, let start with your assessment shall we?" Tsunade asked as she crossed one leg over the other and placed a clip board on her lap.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura were back again at the front desk chatting with Kurenai while they waited for their next clients when another well known client walked through the door. Sasuke was beginning to think the gods were mocking him at this point.

"I thought you were too busy with work today Dobe to grace our 'shady' business with your presence?" Sasuke asked as a man who could rival the sun in brightness approached the front desk.

"I am, but not till after lunch. Dad said I wasn't needed until a big meeting with our rival company which isn't till 2pm. So, since I have some free time I was planning to pick up Iruka-sensei and take him to lunch. He told me about his appointment for today and I wanted to see how it went." Naruto explained while he hugged Sakura in greeting and waved to Kurenai.

Naruto had remained good friends with Iruka-sensei after he graduated. He also still visited the spa a lot since some of his good friends worked there and his Dad's company used their services a lot. He knew about the other side of the spa and after growing up around his godfather Jiraiya he was hesitant to use the services available. If he really wanted a massage he'd book with either Sakura or Tsunade as he knew he could trust them. Sasuke on the other hand…

"Sounds good. Iruka is almost finished and I have some free time till my next client so I'll take you to the change rooms where you can meet him there. After his first session he may be a little sore and need some help. Though I'm sure he will deny it if he is." Sasuke smirked at the last part. With that Naruto said goodbye to Sakura and began following Sasuke down one of the many hallways.

* * *

Kakashi knew something was up by the time he was finished with Gai. The man had been particularly long winded today as if he was trying to distract Kakashi from something and keep him longer then usual. He couldn't afford to be late for an important afternoon meeting so he had used that as an excuse to end his session early. His muscles didn't feel as relaxed as he'd wanted them to be but he could always book a proper appointment for later in the week. He'd question Itachi later on what was happening. With his session over and not bothering to wait for an escort, he made a direct beeline for the change rooms.

* * *

Iruka felt like a hunk of pizza dough that had been thoroughly worked over. Tsunade was good and he had listened to Itachi's advice and politely warned her when the treatment was becoming too intense. The two had talked about their teaching carriers, his at the high school and hers at the university. The distraction of conversation had helped as the session had been brutal but he knew it was well worth it. He just hoped he could survive the rest of his sessions.

Once Tsunade was finished she gave him some final instructions, asked if he had any questions and then left him alone to take his time in getting up and redressed. Once finished he had exited the room to find Itachi waiting for him out in the hall.

"How was your massage Iruka-sensei?" Itachi asked as they made their way to the change room.

"Well, besides having a new appreciation for the pizza I order once a week, sore but good." Iruka smiled back as Itachi chuckled at the comparison.

"As long as you aren't in any bad kind of pain, sore muscles are a good sign." Itachi said as they reached the door to the change room. "Feel free to use the showers to wash off the rest of the massage oils. There is complimentary shampoo and soap plus plenty of towels if you need them. There are intercoms in several locations throughout the change area. If you need anything just press the blue button and someone will answer right away."

"Thank you again Itachi. I shouldn't take long." Iruka nodded as he entered the change room.

Itachi leaned back against the wall to wait for Iruka and to keep an eye on who went into the change room after him. He hadn't heard anyone in the change room when they got there and most of their current clients were still in the middle of their sessions so there was no worry of having missed someone…


	4. Chapter 4

"How are the talks going with your Dad's company and his rival?" Sasuke asked.

"Fine so far, I mean, the president of the other company knows my dad from years back and they're both in complete agreement. It's just that the board of directors on both sides are still not all on board. Both sides are worried that they are being taken advantage of. Hopefully with the meeting today and the presentation of the final draft of the contract all their worries will be settled." Naruto sighed.

"You should come in for a massage soon; you look like you could use one." Sasuke commented.

"Yeah, maybe I will later this week." Naruto thought out loud. "Oh and by the way."

"Hn?" Sasuke responded.

"Thank you for taking on Iruka's case. You didn't say it but I know it was your idea." Naruto gave Sasuke a sincere smile. Sasuke allowed a small smile to grace his features at that. "Though I am surprised that a Teme like you or a Devil like your brother could care so much about someone." Naruto grinned like the Cheshire cat.

Sasuke was about to punch him in the shoulder when a deep voice spoke up. "I prefer the term Satan Uzumaki; it tends to have a more regal tone to it."

Itachi smirked as the two boys had rounded the corner to run right into him. Naruto paled briefly while Sasuke chuckled at the other two's antics.

* * *

Iruka had stripped his swim suit off and had wrapped a towel around himself. He had decided that taking a shower would be a good idea as he felt a little slick from the massage oils that were used on him. Though the scent of vanilla and lavender were pleasant on his senses, he didn't want to ruin his clothing with the oils.

Heading towards the showers he rounded the corner and crashed right into a wall of flesh. Iruka nearly fell back on his rear if it hadn't been for the strong arms that grabbed him in an instance.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going…" Iruka tried to quickly apologize but was stopped in his track by the man in front of him. Piercing grey eyes stared back at him but what had his attention the most was the curiosity of how such a young looking face could have such a mop of silver hair attached to it.

"It's quite alright. I am as much to blame as you are." The man replied with a voice that echoed confidence. "I don't believe I've seen you here before, may I ask your name?"

"Oh of course, my name is Umino Iruka and you're right I haven't been here before, it's my first time." Iruka smiled politely.

The silver haired man smiled right back as the gears in his imagination began turning at a violent rate.

* * *

"Iruka only just entered the change room and I suggested that he take a shower so he'll probably be a little while yet." Itachi informed Naruto and Sasuke.

"Have there been any issues?" Sasuke asked.

"None so far. As you know our favourite lecherous client is pre-occupied with the green beast so there's no need to worry." Itachi reassured his brother.

"What language are you two speaking?" At this point Naruto was completely lost as to what the brothers were talking about.

"Nothing to worry about Naruto, we're just making sure Iruka's virtue goes untouched while he's here." Itachi replied.

"Which means keeping the perverts at bay." Sasuke sighed

"Is it really appropriate to be addressing your clients as perverts?" A deep voice spoke up from nearby.

The three young men swung around with varying degrees of shock as a notorious client they had been referring to rounded the corner.

* * *

Iruka entered the shower area a little miffed. The silver haired man had introduced himself simple as Kabuto with no family name and had continued to stare at him making him feel uncomfortable. Iruka had quickly excused himself saying he was in a bit of a hurry and had promptly left the creepy man behind.

Iruka chose one of the larger shower stalls and began setting up his things. He brought a beach towel with him but no soap for a shower. Just as Itachi had said there was complementary shampoo and soap and upon closer look it was better if not superior to that found in most hotels. Iruka had turned on the water to allow it to warm up and had begun to settle in when the hairs on the back of his neck jumped to stand on end. Something was off he thought.

Before he could turn around though, a pair of arms encircled him and he was shoved roughly up against the tiled wall of the back of the shower stall. Before he could let out any sound a cloth was stuffed into his opened mouth. Iruka tried to struggle but in his current condition and having been caught off guard he was at a great disadvantage. With the same hand that had stuffed the cloth in his mouth now in his hair holding his head down, he couldn't even turn enough to see the face of his assailant.

Iruka continued to struggle but stilled in fear as a breath ghosted over his ear and he heard his assailant speak. "What a lovely piece of chocolate I've found lying around. I wonder if you taste just as good as you look." With those words said, a tongue made its way from the base of his neck to just behind his ear sending a shiver down Iruka's spine along with a renewed sense of panic.

He knew that voice. It was the creepy man from earlier.

As Kabuto twisted his arms behind him and began to bind them behind his back, Iruka's treacherous imagination began to take over of all the bad things that may be about to happen to him. With those thoughts in mind a small whimper he had not intended to make left his muffled lips only causing Kabuto to growl in approval.

* * *

Itachi immediately stood up straight upon seeing one of the spa's most important clients. His mother would never forgive him if he or Sasuke had insulted a client directly, even if it wasn't intended.

"My deepest apologies Kakashi, is there something you need? Your massage wasn't to be over for another 20 minutes." Itachi bowed slightly to the business man.

"Oh, you know very well one can only take so much of Gai's beaming presence at once." Kakashi drawled.

"I'm sorry you were booked with him, but our schedules were almost full when you called this morning…" Itachi began to apologize but Kakashi cut him off.

"No need to kiss my ass Itachi, I'm not going to take my business else where over a more than adequate description of what I once was from your brother." Kakashi half smirked half scoffed. "Though after hearing the last bit of your conversation I'm really curious as to know why you two are working so hard to keep me away from this Iruka?"

Itachi and Sasuke both froze, all there planning about to go out the window.

"Neh, Iruka-sensei was the teacher I was telling you about at the first merger meeting. I'm here to take him to lunch before the meeting this afternoon." Naruto chimed in, answering Kakashi's question.

"Really, well maybe I'll have to join you then. I'm really interested in meeting him after hearing you lay so much praise on him over the last few months." Kakashi smiled at Naruto.

Sasuke's jaw almost dropped while Itachi raised an eyebrow. "You two know each other?" Itachi inquired.

"Oh yeah, I didn't tell you two about the other company my Dad's company is merging with did I. Sasuke, Itachi, meet Kakashi-sensei. He's an old friend of the family. Kakashi-sensei, meet the Bastard and his older brother Satan." Naruto beamed as the brothers both glared at him for the nicknames.

"Ah, I never realized when you spoke of the bastard and devil you were referring to these two. Though it does make a lot of sense now." Kakashi chuckled. He then turned to Itachi and Sasuke. "Though as admirable as your intentions were to keep your client safe from me, it wasn't really necessary."

Sasuke looked at him with disbelief. "With your track record I think we were more than justified in our actions."

Kakashi sighed, "Really, so neither you have noticed that in the last several months I've been behaving when I come in. If fact most of the time I've been asking to see Itachi so he can vouch for my good behaviour."

Sasuke was about to retort when Itachi cut in. "Actually now that I think of it you have been behaving. Though why that is I'm curious to know."

"Meh, I don't mind sharing. I think it has to do with the coming company merger." Kakashi pondered out loud.

"What, stress so bad you can't even get it up." Sasuke quipped thought he received a smack to the back of the head from Itachi after that.

"No, no, nothing wrong with the equipment. I was just inspired that's all. Seeing Naruto's father and his mother together, still lovey-dovey after so many years, and the pride in Minato-sensei's eyes at how well Naruto is doing in the company really had me thinking about my own future. I'm not getting any younger you know." Kakashi made a point of pointing to his silvery head of hair. "I was actually inspired after Naruto first told me about his past teacher Iruka and his recent heroics."

"I told Kakashi that if he wanted to meet Iruka, he'd have to tone down the perverseness a bit." Naruto joked.

"Makes perfect sense. Well at least accept mine and Sasuke's apologies for having labelled you as a pervert without realizing you had a desire to change your ways." Itachi spoke. He and Sasuke bowed politely.

"Apology accepted, though not really necessary. If I was in your position I would have thought the same thing about myself." Kakashi waved in dismissal.

"By the way, how long has Iruka-sensei been in there?" Naruto asked.

"A while now. I'm a little worried but I don't want to go in and check only to infringe on his privacy. I can tell he's very independent, or stubborn depending on how you look at it, and that his injuries have been severely hindering his pride." Itachi commented.

"That's Iruka-sensei for you." Naruto beamed.

"If I may, how about I go check on him? I'm a client here so it would be perfectly natural if I walked in there to change, which I have to anyway." Kakashi offered.

"That would work, thank you Kakashi-san for the offer." Itachi spoke.

"Just don't startle him. Iruka-sensei's not one for perverted conversations." Naruto warned.

"I promise I will behave myself; Scouts honour." Kakashi raised his hand in a mock oath before entering the change rooms.

"I didn't know Kakashi was a Boy Scout." Naruto voiced out loud.

"I highly doubt that Dobe." Sasuke rolled his eyes while Itachi smirked at Naruto's naivety.


	5. Chapter 5

Kakashi walked casually by the rows of lockers and benches looking for the man of the hour. He'd never met Iruka face to face but he'd heard a lot about him from Naruto. Knowing how much Naruto was known to over exaggerate, he had done some searching on the web and found the news articles pertaining to the school shooting Iruka was involved in. It had certainly impressed the businessman and he had become a secret admirer of Iruka's from that day on. The lunch date today was perfect as he could use the meeting this afternoon as an excuse to be lunching with Naruto.

Having not seen the young teacher, or anyone for that matter, Kakashi made his way towards the showers where he could hear water running.

* * *

Iruka was on the brink of giving in. He had fought and twisted and squirmed and made it as difficult for his assailant to move him but he was quickly using up the last of his strength. He had worked really hard during his water therapy to get through the exercises and even though he'd been lying down for his massage, he was in no way well rested after it.

He was currently on his knees with his arms tired behind his back with what he guessed was the tie from one of the bath robes hanging by the shower entrance. His assailant was behind him, knees on either side of his own. A large hand pushed down between his shoulder blades, just above the healing bullet wound, pinning his shoulders. He kept his head to the side not wanting to drown in the water running around him from the shower head above.

Tears began to run down his face, though hidden by the falling water of the shower. He could feel the other hand of his assailant running over his rear and closed his eyes to the inevitable. He has no disillusions of what was going to happen; he knew from a logical view he was about to be raped.

The tears began falling faster now. Why was this happening to him? Was he not a good person? Had he not paid his dues when he took a bullet in the back for a student he didn't even know? As a finger circled his back entrance he tried to relax as best he could to lessen the pain he knew was to come.

For a brief moment he felt the familiar sting and pressure of a foreign object breaching his rear but then it was all suddenly gone. The hand on his back, the thighs on either side of his legs, the weight on his back, all gone.

Iruka didn't dare move a muscle. He continued to keep his eyes shut not wanting to ruin the brief hope that he was saved. Over the pattering of the shower he could hear sounds of what he guessed could be a scuffle. Finally a loud thud sounded followed by an alarm going off.

Iruka still didn't move when he thought he heard a voice call his name.

* * *

Kakashi entered the shower area and took a moment to scan his surroundings. Only one stall on the end was occupied and he concluded that Iruka must be in there.

Walking towards the stall he stopped about half way as something caught his eye. There were not one, but two pairs of feet lying on the ground, protruding slightly from under the curtain of the shower stall. That was odd he thought. All of the stories that Naruto had given of Iruka portrayed him as a straight laced man, not a one nighter kind of guy. Could he really be having a quickie with another man?

All of Kakashi's thoughts came to a screeching halt when he heard a whimper come from the stall. And this wasn't a whimper of pleasure, oh no, Kakashi knew those sounds all to well. This was a sound of distress. If he still had doubt as to his conclusion, a very sinister chuckle followed by a voice saying, "relax and you may enjoy this too", was all that Kakashi needed to spring into action.

Kakashi raced over to the stall and yanked back the curtain to a sight that made him see red. Iruka was bent over and the fucker who had him pinned was about to violate the smaller man with his finger.

Wasting no time, Kakashi grabbed the assailant by the shoulders and flung him backwards into on of the other stalls. Without giving the rapist any time Kakashi raced forward and punched the man right in the nose. He felt and heard the satisfying crunch as the cartilage gave under the force of his fist.

The man grunted and grabbed for his nose as he tried to escape but Kakashi wouldn't let him. With a few more punches to the head and chest, the attacker collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Kakashi quickly raced over to an alarm on the wall by the entrance to the shower used by clients to call for assistance before racing back to Iruka. He'd never seen the man in person but had recognized him from his pictures in the news articles. The site now though made Kakashi's heart clench. Iruka hadn't moved an inch since the attacker had been removed from his back and Kakashi could easily see the smaller man was shivering from head to toe.

Kakashi turned the water off and carefully, without making any sudden movements, he lifted Iruka into a sitting position between his legs. He slowly pulled the cloth from Iruka's mouth and pulled free the tie around his arms. Speaking in quiet and soothing tones, Kakashi cradled Iruka in his arms until several staff members, including Itachi, Sasuke and Naruto came racing into the shower room.

* * *

Mikoto was in hysterics when she arrived to find several police cars parked outside of her spa. Sasuke was quick to escort her inside and explain exactly what had happened. There was no sugar coating this and it was decided between the brothers that they would tell their mother everything about the incident so that she was on the ball if any reporters came knocking. Of course nothing was discussed about the true side of the spa and Mikoto was lead to believe that this was an isolated and unfortunate incident.

The image of the spa was at stake so everything had to be managed efficiently. Itachi had already taken the lead, talking with the police and giving a statement along with some carefully selected surveillance videos. Afterwards he had quickly prepared a statement for his mother and himself to give to the press when they came knocking which would be soon. Kurenai, with the help of two others, had been instructed to reschedule the rest of the day's clients and those who were still at the spa were given vouchers and apologies for being asked to leave early. Afterwards Itachi had an emergency staff meeting to give all the staff members exact instructions on how to act and speak for the next little while.

After giving a statement to the police and being checked out by Tsunade to ensure his back had not been further injured, Iruka had been driven home by Naruto. Though Kakashi wanted to accompany them he was obligated to stay behind and give a statement to the police as well.

After speaking to the police, Kakashi had quickly changed and was in the process of retrieving his briefcase and jacket when Sasuke approached him, "So what are you going to do now?"

"Head to the office, there is still time for me to make it to that meeting. Naruto has already called his father to inform him of what has happened and that he won't be able to attend since he's staying with Iruka. Minato called me right after and offered to reschedule, but I declined as this is too important to miss." Kakashi sighed.

Sasuke could see the frustration in Kakashi's face but he was right. Besides there was not much Kakashi could do now. "I'm sure the Dobe will keep you and his dad informed for the rest of the day at the least. Good luck with the meeting." Sasuke nodded as Kakashi waved his goodbye while walking towards the car waiting for him outside.

Once he was buckled in and the driver had merged into traffic did Kakashi call his lawyer, just in case someone decided he had thrown one too many punches. (Though he wished he had had time for more.)

* * *

On the drive to Iruka's apartment, Naruto had offered to stop for food but Iruka had declined saying he wasn't quite hungry at the moment. The tone of Iruka's voice was still quite and soft and it bothered Naruto to hear the vibrant man use such a subdued voice.

They reached the apartment and walked to the front door. Naruto could see the tension in Iruka's lithe frame but held his tongue because he feared Iruka's wrath for insulting his pride. But when he went to say goodbye, the flinch Iruka gave at the notion of being alone helped him throw caution to the wind. "You know, you could always come for dinner tonight with me and my parents, and if we just happen to lose track of time and it gets too late you could always stay over."

Iruka appeared to be briefly caught off guard but then looked up to address Naruto. "Dinner with your parents would be lovely; I haven't spoken to your mother in a while. It would be nice to catch up with her." And with that Iruka retrieved a small overnight bag, locked his front door and followed Naruto back to the elevator.

* * *

"Where did we go wrong Nii-san?" Sasuke asked as Itachi shut the door to his office and walked around the desk to his seat; Sasuke already sitting across from him. "I mean, we planned everything down to a tee and what happens? Probably the worst case scenario; one we didn't even think of."

"Even the best plans can fall through." Itachi sighed as he checked his email. The press was already hounding him about the incident. He sighed, knowing he was in for a long night. "There was no way we could have anticipated Orochimaru's lackey being a factor to consider. When have his lackeys ever been predators? And how were we to know he would be left on his own?"

"Still, we should have been more careful." Sasuke slunk into his seat. Itachi could see the guilt Sasuke felt written all over his face. He blamed himself and Itachi felt the same, blaming himself for not following Iruka into the change room to check if it was safe.

"Well there is nothing we can do now but hope that Iruka-sensei's stubbornness pulls him through this unfortunate incident." Itachi commented as he began typing the first reply to the long list of emails in his inbox. Sasuke allowed a tiny smile to grace his lips at the thoughts of his former teacher bouncing back from this with more determination than ever before.

* * *

Kakashi sighed as he exited the elevator into the lobby of the office building. The meeting had gone on far longer than he had hoped it would, but the work had been worth it. The merger was a done deal and after a few more weeks of work he could take that vacation he'd been dreaming of since the whole deal had started. His thoughts though quickly wandered to the incident from earlier and his whole mood darkened as he wondered how the brilliant man from earlier was handling it all. It still enraged him to think about what almost happened.

He clenched his fist and thought about punching a nearby wall, but before he could even take another step, a hand reached up to stop him in his tracks. "He'll be alright. I've known Iruka-sensei for several years and if he can put up with my son as a student and still enjoy his company afterwards then he can survive anything."

Kakashi turned around to see the beaming face of his long time mentor and good friend Minato. "Say, why don't you come over for dinner and see for yourself? Naruto just text me to say Iruka-sensei was staying over for a day or two, just so he's not alone. I'm sure he'd love an opportunity to thank the man that saved him. Plus we need to celebrate the merger and a small party would be a great distraction for Iruka-sensei."

Kakashi only had to think about it for a nano-second before he accepted the offer and followed Minato out to the waiting cars.

* * *

Iruka sat nervously in the sitting room of the large house Naruto and his family lived in. He had a cup of his favourite tea in hand but had hardly taken a sip of it. He was both excited and nervous when Naruto had informed him that the man who had saved him would be joining them for dinner. Though he was looking forward to thanking his saviour, he was just as nervous for this man had seen him at what was probably one of the most vulnerable moments in his life. Not to mention he had been naked with his bare rear high in the air.

Naruto's casual offer to stay with him and his family for a day or two had been a great comfort to his nerves. The idea of spending a night alone in his apartment had not sat well with him and the chance to catch up with Naruto's parents was a bonus as they had become good friends while Naruto was a student of his.

Naruto had told Iruka all about his saviour Hatake Kakashi on the drive over. Though some of the information had been a bit strange and unbelievable, like Kakashi's apparent habit of reading porn in public, Iruka was now highly interested in meeting the man.

Kushina had of course fawned over him as soon as he had arrived; showing him to a guest bedroom and asking what he'd like for dinner. He had politely said anything would be good and had been amused at how quickly she had excused herself. He figured she had immediately run to Naruto to ask him what Iruka's favourite foods were for that was just the type of hostess she was.

Iruka was roused from his thoughts when he heard the front door open and the voice of Kushina welcoming her husband home along with another. Soon Iruka heard several pairs of foot steps and some muffled voices move down the hall towards the room he was in. He took one last deep steadying breath and prepared himself to formally meet the man who had saved him earlier that day.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: I appologize to those who have waited patiently. Real life has just been so hectic and still is. The cafe I work part time for just became a co-op as of June 1st (the day after ch.5 was posted). I hit the ground running and have not stopped since. Since then two people have handed in their 2 wekks notice and more shifts have been added. I have gone from 2-4 shifts a week to 6-7 a week. This week alone I worked over 40 hours. Some days after working I come home and I'm just completely exhausted. Anyway here is the last full chapter though I do have a short epilogue planned. I have lots of other plot bunnies just hopping around in my head. Most are one shots with a couple of mutli-chapters including a really dark one I think I might start on the side. Hope you enjoy reading this._

* * *

"How is he doing Naruto?" Minato asked his son as he and Kakashi finished hanging up their coats.

"As good as can be expected. He seems a bit skittish and a little withdrawn. I made him his favourite tea and he's now sitting in the parlour. I'm not completely sure what is best at this point, whether to keep close or give him space." Naruto sighed while scratching the back of his head.

"He'll let us know and we can always help him find a therapist right?" Kushina smiled after hugging both Minato and Kakashi in greeting. "How are you Kakashi-kun, I haven't spoken to you in a while."

"I'm doing well Kushina. With the merger done I'll have more free time now." Kakashi smiled.

"Good, then you'll have no excuses to not come visit more often." Kushina chided him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on dinner and see what I have for a desert to celebrate the good news." With that Kushina vanished down the hall way towards the kitchen.

"Come Kakashi; let me introduce you to Iruka-sensei. I'm sure he'd like to thank you for saving him earlier." Minato lead the way down another hall towards the parlour.

Kakashi hesitated for a moment before following. If he was to admit it he was a little nervous meeting Iruka formally having already seen more of him then most have. Would Iruka always have that in mind when they talked? Would he always feel embarrassed and refuse to even look Kakashi in the eye? Would it forever be a barrier between them? He just hoped that both of them could look past that and at the least become good friends.

* * *

Iruka whipped his head around as the door to the parlour opened to reveal a well known beam of sunshine. Naruto entered the room with a big smile followed by his father and a striking looking man whom Iruka briefly recognized as Kakashi. After the attack he had been in a kind of daze and hadn't really had a good look at his face then. He took a moment now though to observe the man from his shocking head of silver hair to the curious black eye patch over his left eye.

As Iruka's eyes met the man who was his saviour he could feel a blush work its way across his face. When a warm smile spread across the man's face, Iruka had to look away or risk becoming a tomato.

"Iruka-sensei, I'd like you to meet a long time family friend of ours." Minato spoke up as he approached the couch. "Umino Iruka, this is Hatake Kakashi."

Remembering his manners at Minato's introduction, Iruka stood up abruptly to properly greet Kakashi. In his haste though he had forgotten about the tea cup in his hand, which he had thankfully drank most of in nervousness when he first heard the voices in the hallway. A light gasp left Iruka's lips as he watched his favourite tea cup flip off of the saucer gripped tightly in his hand.

With movements faster than Iruka could keep up with, Kakashi caught the cup long before it could shatter against the coffee table it was headed for. Placing the cup on a coaster on the table Kakashi reached out his hand in greeting to Iruka as if the almost incident had never happened. "I've heard so much about you from Naruto over the past few months. It's a pleasure to finally meet the man who has had such a positive influence on him." Kakashi spoke politely.

Iruka was momentarily stunned again by Kakashi as his smooth, confident voice rolled over him. Quickly swallowing down his nerves, Iruka spoke up with the manners his mother had ingrained in him as a child. "The pleasure is mine Hatake-san." Iruka took the man's hand hesitantly. He berated his nerves for his shaky actions but managed to take note of the warmth and strength in the other man's hand.

"Minato, Naruto, could you two help me with dinner?" Kushina asked, poking her head into the room.

"Sure Hun, come on Naruto." Minato replied. "You two just sit tight and chat for a bit till dinner is ready."

As Minato and Naruto exited the room, Iruka could feel his nervousness returning with a vengeance.

* * *

Kakashi knew what was going on but didn't say a word. The family was obviously giving him a chance to talk alone with Iruka. Though he was planning to at some point during the evening, he was planning on it being a little later on, like after dinner.

Kakashi looked over at the teacher and could easily see the tension in him. Figuring the art of subtly would be a waste without the ice breaker of dinner he figured he'd get straight to the point.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well considering what happened this morning. Many would have been deeply affected by the trauma. It shows you have great inner strength." Kakashi smiled warmly at the younger man.

He watched as a small smile began to work its way across Iruka's face though his eyes were now looking anywhere but back at him.

"Further more you can rest at easy. As I said Naruto has told me a lot about you and I have read about your story in the paper earlier this year. I must say I've very impressed and by no means has today's incident made me even once consider thinking any less of you than I did a day ago." Kakashi spoke every word with nothing but the absolute truth.

The shock that appeared on Iruka's face was priceless. It was that of a small child finding out he wasn't in trouble for something he thought he did wrong. It only made the teacher more endearing in his eyes.

It took a moment before Iruka could reply. "You are too generous with you praises Hatake-san. It should be I who is praising you. Thank you for saving me earlier." Iruka bowed deeply with the manners his mother had taught him so long ago.

"It was nothing, and please, call me Kakashi. Hatake-san was my father." Kakashi joked as Iruka stood up straight and they both made their way over to the couch.

* * *

"I can't see move over." A blond head whispered.

"There isn't much happening. They're just sitting there quietly chatting." A red head whispered back.

"No way, Kakashi keeping his hands to himself, I don't think so." The blond scoffed.

"I don't think you give him enough credit. He's really turned around lately." The red head nodded sagely before moving the blond aside to peer through the keyhole of the door again.

"You two really need to learn to mind your own business." Minato looked down at his wife and son while they fought over the their little peep hole.

"We're just making sure Iruka-sensei's honour is upheld." Naruto replied.

"Screw honour, I want some hot boy on boy make out action." Kushina joked, receiving strange looks from her two favourite men.

"Right." Minato dead panned. "I'm sure Kakashi is going to try and re-enact his favourite Icha Icha scene."

"You never know." Kushina giggled as Naruto cringed before returning to the key hole to watch, followed a moment later by his mother. Another shoving match soon began as Minato sighed while he left to go check on dinner.

* * *

"I still don't believe it!" Iruka exclaimed while Kakashi chuckled.

"As strange as it may sound, yes I did used to read porn in public. I started doing it just to piss of the board of directors when I was younger but then it just became habit. I've since cut back and if I do read it in public, I hide it behind another book or a newspaper." Kakashi answered. Iruka just sat in shock while Kakashi continued to chuckle.

Their conversation after the initial greetings had started slow and conservative but had picked up pace and had covered a variety of topics once the two became comfortable in each other's presence. Though Iruka still showed signs of tension in his frame, Kakashi had made sure to keep the topic away from anything to do with the events of that morning.

"And here all this time I thought it was one of Naruto's many exaggerated stories." Iruka shook his head, making a mental note to check into more of Naruto's more wilder claims before dismissing them.

"I think my VP Uchiha Obito is to blame for Naruto's imagination. He comes up with the most outrageous excuses for his tardiness that I have ever heard. He can give any toddler a run for his money." Kakashi chuckled as he got up from the coach.

"An Uchiha that is late, I didn't think such and enigma could exist." Iruka chuckled having known Sasuke and some of his relatives for several years now.

"He's considered the black sheep of the family because of his antics, but some how I don't think he cares." Kakashi commented as he made his way towards the door.

"Speaking of antics," Kakashi looked to Iruka with a smirk as he placed his hand on the doorknob. Iruka looked at him with curiosity at his comment. "I was always under the impression that eavesdropping was an inappropriate pass time."

With that said Kakashi, in one swift moment, twisted the door knob and yanked open the door only to have a blond tumble forward onto the floor with a red head following not to far behind. The blonde fell with a grunt and the red head fell with a squeak landing on top of the blond and causing him to lose all of the air in his lungs from the impact.

When the blond finally caught his breath he glared up at Kakashi, "Oi that was so not fare! How dare you interrupt me while I'm spying in my own house!" Naruto shouted indignantly.

Kushina, having caught her balance and stood up, smacked her son on the back of the head, "What do you mean you're house? And don't yell at our guests." Kushina looked at Kakashi and then turned to Iruka with a blush on her face.

Iruka had tried to hold back but the urge was too great and he burst out laughing at the scene in front of him. It hadn't been the first time Naruto had been caught spying on the other side of a door, but to have his own mother doing the same was just too much. At least he now knew where Naruto had developed the bad habit from.

"And here I thought Naruto had developed the bad habit from Jiraiya-sama." Iruka managed to get out between breaths. Listening to the teacher's honest and heart warming laugh was contagious and soon all the occupants of the room were laughing. It wasn't until Minato poked his head in to announce that dinner was ready did the laughter begin to die down.

Kushina and Naruto immediately jumped into action upon hearing that food was ready. They ran ahead with Minato in tow, leaving their two guests behind.

Kakashi placed one hand casually in his pocket while he gestured the other towards the door. "Shall we?"

Iruka smiled as he walked towards the door. "Absolutely… and we better hurry before those Uzumakis polish off everything before we have a chance to sit down."

Kakashi chuckled at the comment as he led Iruka from the room.


	7. Epilogue

"Damn Iruka, you keep this up and I might have some competition around here." Kisame chuckled as Iruka finished the last of his laps in the pool. Iruka simply held onto the edge of the pool and smiled up at the other man. "I doubt I could ever be as fast as you but thank you for the compliment."

It had been 3 months since Iruka had started his therapy at the spa and he was making excellent progress despite the initial hiccup on his first visit. He chose not to dwell on the incident and had used the anger he had felt at his physical weakness to push himself forward. As Iruka exited the pool he picked up the single cane sitting by the rail. He was down from two canes to one and only needed the one for the occasional bumpy patch on the road ahead of him.

"Itachi has asked for a reassessment next week, just a heads up for you." Kisame spoke as he wrote some notes in a small file. "At this point you may want to try joining one of the group sessions held twice a week for general exercise. The current group is chatty but they're all good people."

"It sounds interesting, I'll think about it for sure." Iruka promised as he wrapped the provided fluffy robe around himself. "See you next week Kisame."

"See you Iruka." Kisame grinned like a piranha as he watched the man exit that was hands down the best client he had ever had.

"And lastly, did you want to be informed as to when each of the packages you are ordering has been activated?" Itachi asked as he finished entering the information into his computer.

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, sometimes knowing how eager a potential client is to cash in a free spa visit can be very revealing."

Itachi smirked, "I'm sorry Mr. Hatake, but we only provide knowledge of when the package is activated so the buyer of the package is aware of when they will be charged. Any other information about our clients is strictly confidential."

Kakashi smirked as well, "Of course, I would never presume a business such as yourself would engage in such irresponsible activities."

Both men smiled as a small envelope was passed under the table. Kakashi had learned about Itachi's hidden cameras through Jiraiya as his company was the one hired to install the cameras. The self proclaimed pervert had been lamenting about the job one night over dinner because he couldn't reap the benefits of the system in the spa. Kakashi had just rolled his eyes but had pocketed the knowledge for later use. Some time later he had approached Itachi and struck a deal where he would send clients there way and in return Itachi would help him with research on them. It was a win-win situation for both.

"Thank you Kakashi-san for your business. Mother will be most pleased with these last minute Christmas sales." Itachi spoke as both men stood to leave Itachi's office. "Though considering you were the first to know 3 months ago."

Kakashi picked up on the subtle annoyance in the Uchiha's voice. "Meh, better late than never right? Consider it pay back for unjustly profiling me at the time."

Itachi sighed, "Fair enough and I am sorry for that."

Kakashi waved a dismissive hand at him. "No worries, I already accepted your apology. Besides, I probably would have done the same thing if I had been in your shoes."

"I have noticed the change in you… You do know that Umino-sensei is here today right?" Itachi asked.

"Actually, yes I do. Naruto informed me last night while I was at his parents' house for dinner." Kakashi answered.

"Are you planning to join them?" Itachi inquired.

"Only if the opportunity presents itself. I wouldn't want to intrude of course." Kakashi smiled oh so innocently.

"Of course not." Itachi smirked as the two left the office and headed towards the lobby.

"Damn, not even a moan. I must be losing my touch." Tsunade chuckled as she wrote notes in her file.

"I may not have moaned but you did get a few flinches out of me." Iruka winced as he got off the table and reached for his robe.

"True, but it's just not the same." Tsunade laughed. "How are your classes going this term?"

"Good, the students have been so well behaved for me it's almost scary but as I've recovered they've started to slip into their old habits though not as outrageous as they were last year." Iruka sighed.

"It's their respect for you. Enjoy it while you can though. Once that lot moves on you'll only have stories and rumours to support the new found respect they all have. After that it will be your teaching skills that will be put to the test." Tsunade smiled.

"And hopefully by then I'll have enough experience to be able to impress them." Iruka chuckled and bid her good day before heading for the change room.

"Good morning Shikamaru, how are you today?" Iruka asked as he passed the bored looking young man as he walked towards his locker.

Since the incident Mikoto had hired a few extra staff and had added an attendant to each of the change rooms. Most clients didn't have a problem with this after hearing about the assault and near rape that had taken place. Thankfully Iruka's name had been withheld from the newspapers so only the staff knew he was the cause for such changes.

"Same as always Iruka-sensei." The young man sighed as he folded a few towel. Shikamaru was a master at acupuncture but Mikoto had arranged the schedule so that all staff members shared the responsibilities of manning the change rooms. This way clients could speak to a well informed staff member rather than a laky if needed.

"Oh it can't be that bad can it…" Iruka trailed off as he watched an over weight man with too much body hair and too little a towel walk by them towards the showers. "Then again…"

"Oi, Kakashi, what are you doing here?" Naruto practically bellowed as Kakashi and Itachi entered the lobby. Sasuke and Itachi smirked while Sakura swatted Naruto over the head. "Be nice, he's one of our best clients."

"Meh, she's right Naruto. Why I just finished purchasing several expensive spa packages for presents for Christmas. Maybe I should just go back and return the one I was planning to give to your mother." Kakashi smiled.

Naruto immediately shut up as he knew how much his mother loved going to the spa and if she ever found out he had ruined a chance for her to go he'd pay hell for it.

"No worries, I would never do that to your mother." Kakashi ruffled Naruto's hair much to the young man's distaste. "If you're here I'm assuming you're picking up Iruka-sensei no?"

"That he is." A soft voice came from the hallway. All heads turned to see Iruka come walking around the corner standing straight and barely using his cane. The site was a pleasant one to those who knew him best and had seen him just after the shooting.

"You're looking good Iruka." Kakashi compliment as the teacher came to stand between Naruto and Kakashi.

"Thank you Kakashi." Iruka smiled, "So Naruto, ready for lunch?"

Naruto went to respond when Sasuke spoke up. "I'm afraid not Iruka-sensei. You see, Naruto just received an urgent call from his father. Seems there is a mini crisis at work that needs immediate attention."

"Oh and I was looking forward to going to The Shuriken." Iruka sighed.

Again before Naruto could speak he was interrupted, this time by Itachi. "You still could Iruka. Kakashi here was just telling me after our meeting how he was still deciding what he was going to do about lunch for today."

"Really, well Kakashi, why don't you join me then?" Iruka turned to the silver haired man.

"The Shuriken sounds like a great idea." Kakashi smiled politely in return.

As the men headed for the exit Naruto was about to protest when as pointy heel found its way into the top of his shoe. "Have a good day Kakashi-san and Iruka-sensei." Sakura waved oh so innocently.

After the two had left Naruto was finally able to get a word in. "Why do I have to turn into a punching bag when you guys get an idea at the last moment?"

"Because you're horrible at lying Dobe." Sasuke answered as Sakura giggled and Itachi smirked.

The two sat quietly in the car on the way to the restaurant. About half way there Iruka finally broke the silence. "You owe Naruto for stealing him lunch partner."

"Was it that obvious?" Kakashi asked.

"Painfully obvious." Iruka shook his head.

"And yet you didn't say anything." Kakashi remarked.

"Who says I didn't approve of the change?" Iruka smiled.

~Fin~

_Author's Notes: And so it comes to an end. I hope you all enjoyed my first multi-chapter story. I had only meant to write 2-3 chapters but it kind of got away on me. I appologize for the wait and if the quality seems less than my last chapter it was because I was trying to get this out be I hit the ground running. I'm in a period of transition right now. I'm Canadian and my husband is American. We made the decision for me to move south and my visa process is almost complete. *crosses fingers and toes* I have many more ideas and plan to write more but for the next couple of months I will be mia as I relocate. Thank you all for reading and please wish me luck, it's been almost a year and a half since my marriage and I want to be with my hubby!_


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